Disney’s Art of Animation Resort packs 1,120 family suites and 864 standard rooms into four movie-themed courtyards, and this guide covers every room type, restaurant, pool, and transportation option before giving you an experienced advisor’s review of who it fits.
By Favorite Grampy | Last Updated: August 2026 | Room types, amenities, and transportation verified against Disney’s official resort pages
What Is Disney’s Art of Animation Resort?
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is a Value tier Walt Disney World hotel themed to four animated films. It offers 1,120 family suites that sleep six and 864 standard rooms that sleep four, making it the only Value resort where a family of five or six fits in one booking. Families pick it for the suites and the theming, and they pay a premium for both.
The resort sits at 1850 Animation Way in Lake Buena Vista, inside Disney’s Wide World of Sports Resort Area. It opened in 2012 on land originally cleared for a second phase of Pop Century, which is why the two hotels sit across Hourglass Lake from each other. Guests reach the parks by Disney Skyliner gondola and by bus.
Four courtyards anchor the property: Finding Nemo, Cars, The Lion King, and The Little Mermaid. Each one has walk-through character sculptures sized two and three stories tall. This is the resort your kids will recognize from the parking lot.
| Detail | Little Mermaid Standard Room | Family Suites |
|---|---|---|
| Room count | 864 | 1,120 |
| Sleeps | Up to 4, plus 1 child under 3 in a crib | Up to 6, plus 1 child under 3 in a crib |
| Approximate size | 277 square feet | 565 square feet |
| Beds | 1 king or 2 queens | 1 queen, 1 double sleeper sofa, 1 double pull-down bed |
| Bathrooms | 1 | 2 |
| Kitchenette | No microwave; beverage cooler and coffee machine | Yes, with microwave, sink, beverage cooler, coffee machine |
| Courtyard | The Little Mermaid | Finding Nemo, Cars, The Lion King |
| Hallways | Exterior walkways | Interior corridors |
Swipe left to see all columns on mobile.
Art of Animation Quick Facts
Is Art of Animation a Value or Moderate resort?
Disney classifies Art of Animation as a Value Resort. It is priced at the top of that tier, and its 565 square foot family suites often cost more per night than a standard Moderate room.
Does Art of Animation have the Disney Skyliner?
Yes. Art of Animation shares one Skyliner station with Pop Century on the Generation Gap Bridge, and every gondola trip transfers at the Caribbean Beach hub.
How many people can sleep in an Art of Animation family suite?
Each of the 1,120 family suites sleeps up to 6 guests, plus one child under age 3 in a crib, across three separate sleeping areas.
What Room Types Does Art of Animation Offer?
Art of Animation offers two accommodation types across four courtyards. The Little Mermaid courtyard holds all 864 standard rooms. Finding Nemo, Cars, and The Lion King courtyards hold the 1,120 family suites.
Beyond those two products, Disney sells a general Family Suites category where the film theme is assigned at check-in rather than chosen at booking. That option usually prices lower than a named suite. Families with a child set on Lightning McQueen should book the specific courtyard instead.
Across the board, every room and suite includes a beverage cooler, coffee machine, in-room safe, hair dryer, iron and ironing board, complimentary Wi-Fi, and a telephone with voicemail. Views across the property are listed as courtyard, pool, or parking area. Disney no longer sells view-based room categories at this resort.
What Is Inside a Family Suite?
A family suite runs roughly 565 square feet and gives your family three sleeping areas. There is a private bedroom with a queen bed, a living area with a double sleeper sofa, and a double pull-down bed that converts from the dining table.
On top of that, each suite has two bathrooms. One is a full bath and the other is a smaller functional bath, which means three people can get ready at once on a park morning. The kitchenette adds a microwave, a sink, a beverage cooler, and a coffee machine.
That two-bathroom layout is the single biggest reason families book here. Anyone who has waited outside one bathroom door with five people and a 9:00 a.m. rope drop understands why.
What Are the Little Mermaid Standard Rooms Like?
The Little Mermaid rooms are standard Value resort rooms at roughly 277 square feet, sleeping up to four. They come with either one king bed or two queen beds, which is unusual for the Value tier where doubles are more common.
In fact, the theming inside runs heavy, with a seashell headboard, undersea wall art, and Ariel details throughout the bathroom. Underneath the decor, these rooms are conventional Value rooms with a beverage cooler and no microwave. Guests without a microwave in the room can use the ones in the food court.
Location is the trade-off. The Little Mermaid buildings sit farthest from Animation Hall, which puts the walk to the lobby and bus stop at seven to ten minutes from the back buildings.
How Much Does a Night at Art of Animation Cost?
Art of Animation is the most expensive Value resort at Walt Disney World. Standard Little Mermaid rooms price above the equivalent rooms at Pop Century and well above the All-Star resorts. Family suites routinely price above a standard Moderate resort room, and sometimes above a standard Deluxe room during value seasons.
That said, nightly rates change by date, day of week, and season, and Disney runs nine separate rate seasons across the year. A midweek September night and a Christmas week night at the same resort are not close in price. Because of that, any single number you find published online is out of date within weeks.
Two pricing quirks matter for your budget. First, the Little Mermaid rooms have historically been excluded from more room-only discount offers than any other standard Value room. Second, family suites are frequently included in discount offers, so the gap between a suite and two connecting standard rooms can narrow sharply during a promotion.
Meanwhile, additional adults beyond two in a room carry a per-night surcharge. Children under 18 stay at no extra charge in the same room as their adults.
Before you book a family suite, have your advisor price two connecting standard rooms at Pop Century for the same dates. For a family of five, the two-room option sometimes lands lower and gives you two full bathrooms anyway. For a family of six, the suite almost always wins, because most Value standard rooms cap at four guests.
What Are the Four Themed Courtyards Like?
Each courtyard is built as a walk-through set from its film, with character sculptures standing two to three stories tall. Finding Nemo is the largest and sits directly behind Animation Hall. Cars, The Lion King, and The Little Mermaid radiate outward from there.
The Finding Nemo courtyard surrounds The Big Blue Pool and includes the Righteous Reef playground. Nearby, the Cars courtyard recreates a stretch of Radiator Springs, complete with Route 66 signage, the Cozy Cone Motel, and a Schoolyard Sprayground water play area for younger kids.
The Lion King courtyard is the quiet one. It has no pool, which surprises families who book those suites without checking. Instead it offers The Boneyard playground and grassy open space, and it sits closest to the nightly Movies Under the Stars screening area.
By comparison, The Little Mermaid courtyard holds the Flippin’ Fins Pool and all the standard rooms. Its buildings use exterior walkways like the other Value resorts, while all three suite courtyards use interior air-conditioned corridors.
Where Can Your Family Eat at Art of Animation?
Art of Animation has one table-free dining venue, one pool bar, and pizza delivery. There is no table service restaurant, which is standard across every Disney Value resort.
Landscape of Flavors is the food court, entered through the Ink & Paint Shop inside Animation Hall. It runs five stations covering breakfast platters, burgers, sandwiches, pizza, pasta, salads, and a build-your-own option. Mobile Ordering through the My Disney Experience app is the fastest way through it at peak hours.
The Drop Off Pool Bar sits alongside The Big Blue Pool and serves full bar drinks, cold sandwiches, and snacks. In addition, pizza delivery is shared between Art of Animation and Pop Century and runs into the evening.
Better yet, families staying more than three nights should know that Pop Century’s food court is a short walk across the Generation Gap Bridge. Two food courts within five minutes of each other is a real advantage over the All-Star resorts.
Place your Mobile Order from your room before you walk to Animation Hall, not once you arrive. The seating area fills before the food does, so send one adult ahead to claim a table while the other picks up the tray. On a rainy afternoon this saved us a twenty minute wait with a tired grandson in tow.
What Pools and Recreation Are at Art of Animation?
The resort has three heated pools, two playgrounds, an arcade, and a 1.38 mile walking trail around Hourglass Lake. The Big Blue Pool is the largest resort pool at Walt Disney World and includes zero-depth entry plus underwater speakers that play music from the films.
Even so, Cozy Cone Pool in the Cars courtyard is the quiet alternative and has cone-shaped cabanas around the deck at no extra charge, first come first served. Flippin’ Fins Pool serves The Little Mermaid courtyard and is the smallest of the three. None of the Value resorts have water slides or hot tubs, and Art of Animation is no exception.
Beyond the water, Pixel Play Arcade sits inside Animation Hall and runs on a prepaid game card. Righteous Reef playground anchors the Finding Nemo courtyard and The Boneyard playground anchors The Lion King courtyard.
Best of all, free evening programming includes Movies Under the Stars on the lawn between the Lion King and Finding Nemo buildings. The activity schedule rotates through campfires, trivia, crafts, and character drawing classes taught by cast members.
How Does Transportation Work at Art of Animation?
Art of Animation uses two complimentary systems: the Disney Skyliner for EPCOT and Hollywood Studios, and buses for everything else. Per Disney’s official Skyliner information, the gondola network connects four resorts to those two parks with Caribbean Beach serving as the central hub.
Here is the part families miss. Art of Animation shares one Skyliner station with Pop Century, located on the Generation Gap Bridge over Hourglass Lake, and that station has no direct line to any park. Every single gondola trip starts with a five to seven minute ride to Caribbean Beach and a transfer there.
In practice, an EPCOT trip transfers at Caribbean Beach onto the line that passes Riviera Resort. A Hollywood Studios trip transfers onto the direct line instead. Total door-to-gate time typically runs 20 to 30 minutes depending on transfer lines.
Buses cover Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Disney Springs, and the water parks, and they depart from outside Animation Hall. Buses to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios are dispatched when the Skyliner is down for weather. The Skyliner pauses for lightning and high winds, which happens often on Florida summer afternoons.
Add the walk to your Skyliner math. From a back Little Mermaid building to the station is close to ten minutes on foot, before you have ridden anything. Families booking a Little Mermaid room for the Skyliner access should request a building near the Generation Gap Bridge when the reservation is made.
What Amenities and Services Does the Resort Include?
Standard Disney resort benefits apply here, including complimentary overnight self-parking, complimentary theme park parking during your stay, and complimentary Wi-Fi throughout the property. Housekeeping visits every other day rather than daily.
On top of that, three 24-hour self-service laundry rooms sit near The Big Blue Pool, Flippin’ Fins Pool, and Cozy Cone Pool. A 24-hour ATM is located near the Front Desk, and currency exchange is handled at the Front Desk as well.
The Ink & Paint Shop is the resort’s only store and stocks souvenirs, snacks, sundries, and over-the-counter medicine. In addition, the “Hey Disney!” voice assistant is available in guest rooms for park questions and housekeeping requests.
Select family suites are dog-friendly with a limit of two dogs per room, and fees apply. Minnie Van service connected by Lyft operates on property for an additional charge. Online check-in through the app lets you skip the Front Desk entirely.
Is Art of Animation Being Refurbished?
Yes. Disney’s official resort page currently carries a refurbishment notice for the property. Walt Disney World leadership has confirmed a top-to-bottom room reimagining beginning in summer 2027, which would be the resort’s first full hard goods refurbishment since it opened in 2012.
Reporting on the posted schedule puts the room work running from June 2027 through October 2028. The resort stays open and operating throughout, with work moving building by building rather than closing sections wholesale.
For families booking 2027 and 2028 dates, this matters in two ways. You may hear or see construction depending on which building you are assigned, and the room decor described in this guide may not match what you walk into.
Is Art of Animation Worth It? A Professional Review
Art of Animation is worth it for families of five or six who need one room, and for families with young children who will genuinely light up at the theming. It is a weaker choice for couples, for adults traveling without kids, and for families of four chasing the lowest Value tier price.
As a result, the resort earns its reputation on two things it does better than any other Value hotel: suite capacity and immersive design. It loses points on walking distances, food court crowding, and a price ceiling that pushes into Moderate territory.
What Art of Animation Gets Right
Suite capacity is the headline. Sleeping six with two bathrooms and a kitchenette, at a Value tier address with Skyliner access, is a combination no other Disney hotel offers at this price point.
In fact, the theming is the second draw and it is not close. The courtyards are built as walk-in movie sets, and children who recognize the characters react to this resort in a way they do not react to Pop Century’s decade icons.
The Big Blue Pool being the largest resort pool at Walt Disney World is a real amenity, not marketing copy. Add Landscape of Flavors, which consistently ranks among the strongest Value food courts, and Pop Century’s food court five minutes away, and the dining situation beats the All-Stars outright.
Where Art of Animation Falls Short
Distance is the top complaint. The property is spread out, and a back Little Mermaid building to Animation Hall is a seven to ten minute walk each way, several times a day, in Florida heat.
Meanwhile, price is the second issue. The Little Mermaid rooms have historically been excluded from more discount offers than any other Value standard room, so the “Value resort” label can be misleading at booking time. Family suites frequently cost more per night than a Moderate room with more square footage and table service dining on site.
Still, the biggest practical gripe is noise and crowding. Nearly 2,000 rooms funnel into one food court and one bus stop, and mornings at Animation Hall between 7:30 and 9:00 are genuinely congested.
Art of Animation vs. Pop Century: Which Should You Book?
These two hotels share a Skyliner station, a lake, and a price band, so this is the real decision most families face. Pop Century wins on price, walking distances, and recently refreshed rooms. Art of Animation wins on suite capacity, theming, and pool quality.
Book Art of Animation if your party is five or six people, or if you have children under about age eight who will love the character courtyards. Book Pop Century if your party is four or fewer, if you want the shortest walks, or if the nightly rate is the deciding factor.
One more angle worth weighing: Pop Century completed its room refresh years ago, while Art of Animation’s rooms are original to 2012 until the 2027 project reaches them. For 2026 and early 2027 travel, Pop Century has the newer room interiors.
Who Should Skip Art of Animation?
Skip this resort if your party is two adults with no children. The theming that makes it magical for a six-year-old reads as loud and busy for grown-ups, and the same money buys a quieter room elsewhere.
Skip it if anyone in your group has mobility limitations and you are not booking a building near Animation Hall. The distances here are meaningfully longer than at the All-Star resorts.
Skip it if you want a table service restaurant on property, a hot tub, or a water slide. None of those exist at any Disney Value resort, and families arriving from a Moderate or Deluxe stay notice the gap immediately.
If your child is old enough to have a strong opinion, let the courtyard drive the booking. Ben was four the first time we walked into the Cars courtyard, and he talked about that Route 66 sign longer than he talked about any ride we did that week. The right courtyard turns the hotel itself into part of the trip.
Frequently Asked Questions About Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
Can a family of six really fit in one Art of Animation suite?
Yes, and it is the main reason families book here. Each suite gives you a private bedroom with a queen bed, a double sleeper sofa in the living area, and a double bed that pulls down from the dining table. Six people fit without anyone sleeping on the floor, though six full-grown adults in 565 square feet is tighter than six people where three of them are small.
Which Art of Animation courtyard should our family choose?
Choose the courtyard your child loves most, because that is the one they will remember. Finding Nemo sits closest to Animation Hall and wraps around the biggest pool, while Cars has the best walk-through theming and its own splash area. The Lion King is quietest and has no pool of its own, and The Little Mermaid holds all 864 standard rooms while sitting farthest from everything.
Is the Skyliner a good reason to book Art of Animation?
It is a good reason, but not a simple one. Your family gets gondola access to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios without ever waiting for a bus, which is a real upgrade on hot afternoons. The catch is that every trip transfers at Caribbean Beach, so plan on 20 to 30 minutes door to gate and expect buses to take over during lightning.
Should we book now or wait until after the 2027 room refurbishment?
That depends on your travel window. Families traveling in 2026 or early 2027 will see the original 2012 room interiors, which are clean and well maintained but dated next to Pop Century’s refreshed rooms. Families traveling into 2028 will likely find refurbished rooms, and your advisor can check which buildings are affected once Disney publishes the phase schedule.
How Can a Travel Advisor Help You Book Art of Animation?
An Art of Animation booking has more moving parts than it looks. Choosing between a named courtyard suite and the theme-assigned Family Suites category, weighing a suite against two connecting rooms at Pop Century, and requesting a building near the Skyliner station are all decisions best made before you click confirm.
That said, discount offers are the other piece. The Little Mermaid rooms are excluded from more promotions than any other Value standard room, and suites are often included, so the smart booking changes depending on which offer is live when you shop.
Our Favorite Grampy Travels advisors book Walt Disney World every week and know which building requests actually get honored. They will also watch for new offers after you book and apply them to your existing reservation when your dates qualify. A planning fee may apply depending on your trip, and your advisor will explain it up front before any work begins.
Reach out for a complimentary consultation and we will match your family with the right room, the right courtyard, and the right price. You can also meet our advisors and pick the one who fits your family best. You will be glad you did.
